New Blog

Due to the deteriorating health of my parents and husband, I have, regretfully, decided to close the sales website and the original blog as from the 31st December.  I will continue writing on this new blog, so I hope you will be able to join me for more creative fun in the New Year.

 

This image was taken in 2004 as we rarely get snow in South Devon, which is just as well as we live half way up a very steep hill. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and will have a safe New Year.

Fabric and Felt Cakes

Here are some cakes to get you in the Christmas mood, cakes made from fabric and felt.  It is huge fun making these cakes and you can really get carried away.  The best part is actually buying the cakes - for research, of course - study the cakes in great detail and then eat them!!!  Give it a go, it is very rewarding.  Try making French patisserie cakes, yummy.

 

 Fabric cup cakes

 

Fabric Devon scone with jam and cream, felt battenberg (my son's favourite cake), felt chocolate gateau and felt Devon scone with jam and cream.

 

 

The real thing bought for research!!!  Tarte aux fruits 

West Country Embroiderers Torbay Branch Exhibition

Today I went to the West Country Embroiderers Torbay Branch AGM and Christmas lunch.  This is my branch and we meet once a month and at our Christmas meeting we have a small exhibition.  Firstly we had the AGM, a very relaxed and jolly affair followed by lots of yummy homemade food.  There is plenty of time to discuss embroidery and life in general and admire the items on display.  The images are those which caught my eye.

 

 

 Book covers.  Several layers of organza which are burnt back to reveal the colours of the underneath layers.  Embroidery is then added.

 

 

 

 Picture - Layers of organza with lots of machine stitching.

 

 

 

 A picture made by using the Embellisher with machine and hand embroidery added.  It is possible to create the same effect by needlefelting, it is just slower.

Hand Made Christmas Card

I always make hand made Christmas cards for my family and friends, it shows that you care.  They don't have to be complicated but I usually get carried away!

 

 

 Use a firm cotton fabric as a base

 

 

 

 Lay strips of fabric or Christmas ribbons on top of the fabric.  Anchor the fabric or ribbons with straight stitching or fancy stitches using a variety of threads.  Add additional stitching where required.

 

Cut the stitched fabric into a rectangle to represent a candle.  Attach the rectangle to the card with a narrow strip of double sided sticky tape to anchor it and then stitch through the rectangle and the card using a medium width and medium length zigzag.  Add a star for the flame.

 

This technique could also be used on a larger scale to make a spectacle or mobile phone case or even a small bag.

 

Machine Knitted Felt - Landscape/Seascape Workshop (Part 2)

Sometimes when I give a workshop there will be someone who takes the theme and techniques of the workshop but constructs differently or adds something totally different.  I am quite happy about this because usually the person is confident enough to 'do their own thing' and the end result is usually stunning.  The two ladies who produced these two pictures had to leave early for family reasons but they also 'did their own thing' and as I know them well I know the end results will be great.  The pictures are both still work in progress and will have embroidery added.

 

 

 

 

The seascape has been needle felted using mostly unusual knitting wools.  The pebbles in the foreground are made from a very textured knitting wool which has been specifically designed for making a scarf but in the picture they really do look like pebbles.  Care has been taken when selecting the yarn to only use portions of the yarn that indicate light and shade.  A thick shiny yarn was used for the horizon but it was far too bright, no problem, paint it with a darker colour fabric paint, problem solved!

 

 

 

This landscape is very large and will be very exciting when finished.  Part of the hill (top left) is made from plastic netting, the sort vegetables come in and the foreground (bottom left and centre) is soft hand dyed netting.  Hand dyed felt (bottom centre and right) has been used for the foreground and the light and shade of the hand dyeing has been used to great effect.

When you attend a workshop you never seem to have the right fabric or right colour thread and during this workshop there was a great deal of 'have some of mine'.  Great pictures, well done ladies!

Machine Knitted Felt - Landscape/Seascape Workshop (Part 1)

On Tuesday I gave the Machine Knitted Felt Landscape/Seascape workshop to West Country Embroiderers, Torbay branch, which is the group that I attend.  They are a great bunch of ladies and there was a great deal of laughter.

 

 

 

 

The images shown are all work in progress and still have a lot of embroidery and embellishment to be added.  Two of the ladies had previously been on a wet felting workshop and had brought in some of the felt which they had made.  They very bravely cut it, then added Machine Knitted Felt to make their seascapes (Images 1 and 2) and finally started to add embroidery and embellishments. 

 

 

 

 Another lady brought in some hand knitting to incorporate into her seascape (Image 2).

It is amazing how the landscapes and seascapes can vary so much when the ladies have received the same information but have used different textiles in so many different ways.  It is always a joy to see how pictures are transformed over the day from a huge pile of fabrics on the desk to a fantastic piece of art.  At our Christmas party I will see the end results, I cannot wait!

 

Machine Knitted Felt - Bag Workshop

On Saturday I gave a workshop at Ivybridge, Devon on how to make bags with Machine Knitted Felt applique.  It was a very jolly day with numerous cups of tea and Lemon Drizzle Cake in the morning and Dorset Apple Cake in the afternoon!  The ladies worked very hard and were pleased with their creations but at the moment they are still work in progress and will have hand embroidery and embellishments added.

 

 

 

The felt used for the two heart needlecases was originally a jumper purchased from a charity shop and then put in the washing machine and felted.  The lady who made the camel coloured bag in the front/centre used antique lace, velvet and a button which originally belonged to her Grandmother.  The bag centre/left used floral fabric from which flowers were cut and appliqued and the remaining fabric will be used as a lining.

 

A great day was had by all and a big thank you to the ladies for their hospitality.